The Dragon and the Lioness
by ariannaisgone
Summary: Hyuuga Hinata is a professional martial artist getting her first tattoo from the popular tattoo artist Uchiha Sasuke. (SasuHina pairing. A/N: this is my first SasuHina fic so please be kind!)
1. The Appointment

Hyuuga Hinata was sitting on one of her best friend's couches. Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura were looking at the pale, raven-haired girl with wide, shocked eyes. Had they heard correctly? Was their timid little friend really going to get a tattoo?

"Ne, Hina-chan, are you serious? You're considering a tattoo?" Ino asked. "Are you feverous?"

Hinata swatted Ino's hand off her forehead, giving the platinum blonde an exasperated look. Truthfully, she was feeling a little annoyed. Both young women had a decent number of tattoos, some they had gotten when they were still in high school and most certainly against their parents' wishes. Hinata may not have been as rebellious as Sakura and Ino in high school, but that shouldn't have to exclude her from getting a tattoo.

"No, I'm not feverous Ino. I would appreciate it if you took me seriously." The Hyuuga looked each girl in the eye, feeling the Hyuuga pride rile up within her and cool her body to effectively give the signature Hyuuga glare. "I want a tattoo to commemorate the new move I've come up with."

"Tell me your idea, Hinata. I may have just the guy you could go to. He's done a couple of my tattoos," Sakura said, grabbing her friend's hand and giving it a supporting squeeze. The pinkette glared at the blonde, urging her to do the same. Ino did just that.

"Yeah, Hina-chan! Tell us your idea!"

Hinata felt better, knowing that her friends were now taking her seriously. After all, a tattoo was not something to be taken so lightly. It was stuck on your body forever, so serious thought and consideration needed to be taken into account.

* * *

Hinata had described her vision to Ino and Sakura in detail, and after realizing just how serious she was, Sakura gave her the phone number of a tattoo artist she had work on several of her most beautiful tattoos. His name was Uchiha Sasuke, a popular and in-demand tattoo artist who owned his own shop in the somewhat gritty part of Tokyo.

A few days after sitting down with her friends, and Hinata found herself standing outside Sasuke's shop. It was almost her birthday, so she was bundled up in her coat and scarf. She took a deep breath, calming her anxious nerves, before opening the door and walking in.

The shop was nice. The walls were red and the ceiling was black. There was a chandelier hanging in the middle, providing a decent amount of light to the shop. Ornate mirrors were hanging, along with random pictures of Sasuke and the rest of the tattoo artists. Hinata noticed one of Sasuke with a blonde boy who was rather attractive.

"Can I help you?"

Hinata gasped, a blush dusting her pale cheeks. She had not noticed the red headed receptionist behind a desk. The raven-haired young woman offered her a smile before answering her question.

"Yes, hello. My name is Hyuuga Hinata and I have an appointment with Uchiha-san today."

The red head looked like she didn't believed Hinata. She was almost glaring at the Hyuuga, making the women feel uncomfortable. Finally, after staring at Hinata for a while, the receptionist stood up and motioned her to follow her. Hinata did as she was beckoned to.

"Oi, Sasuke, your appointment is here," the receptionist said, popping her gum and cocking her head.

"Send them in. Is this my last one for today?" Hinata heard the silky smooth voice of what she imagined to be a very attractive man. Her heart began to race against her chest and her blush from earlier returned as she imagined this tattoo artist spending an intimate amount of time with her body in a rather intimate way.

"Yeah, unless someone walks in."

"Alright."

The receptionist looked at Hinata one last time before walking away, heels clacking against the tile floor. Hinata knocked on the side of the door, alerting Sasuke that she would be entering his office.

A raven-haired man looked up, obsidian eyes locking with her lilac orbs. Hinata gasped softly, noticing just how handsome he was. Sasuke was classically handsome with a pale face and thin features. His eyes definitely added to his attractiveness; they were intense and mysterious, almost begging someone to try to learn his secrets. Sasuke was wearing a black t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, which Hinata found odd because of the freezing temperatures outside. His visible body parts were covered in tattoos; his right arm was a sleeve of a dragon that was made of lightning. Another, more traditional Japanese dragon was on his neck, black and red. She thought she saw the words "fire and blood" on either side of the Japanese dragon.

"Are you going to continue to stare or are you going to tell me what you want?"

The rude commentary snapped Hinata out of her reprieve. Her blush was so strong that she was sure she looked like a ripe tomato.

"A-ano, I'm Hyuuga Hinata. N-nice to meet you, Uchiha-san," Hinata said as she walked to stand in front of his desk and stretched out her hand for him to shake.

Sasuke merely looked at her hand and went back to his computer. He saw that the attractive young woman with strange eyes retract her hand, her head held down. The Uchiha smirked, finding her reaction strangely cute.

"You can sit down."

Hinata did exactly that, taking her coat and scarf off as she sat. Against her knowledge, Hinata's leg began to bounce out of nervousness. After all she had never been in a tattoo shop before with an artist to discuss something that would become a part of her.

Sasuke closed down the applications on his computer and put the device to sleep. He leaned back in his chair, looking at his client. Sasuke thought she was attractive, and very much liked her lilac eyes. They somewhat reminded him of the moon.

Reaching for his notebook and pen, Sasuke said, "Tell me what you think you want."

"Ano…well. I recently came up with a new move, something I'm incredibly proud of. And I want to commemorate that with this tattoo. I want it to be big…to make a statement."

She shyly looked at the rude and intimidatingly handsome tattoo artist. He was not looking at her; instead he was focused on her words. She smiled before continuing.

"I named the move the Gentle Twin Lion Fists. So I would like two lionesses with a traditional design. And I want there to be blue flames around them as well."

Putting down his pen, the Uchiha looked at his shy client. She was smiling at him embarrassedly, as if she had just revealed some silly schoolgirl thought. Sasuke felt the threat of a blush so he quickly took his eyes away from her.

"That sounds like a lot of work, and it's most likely going to take a few sessions to complete. Are you sure you're willing to make that commitment?"

Deep down, Sasuke hoped she would say yes. And his prayer was heard and answered.

"Of course. This tattoo is very personal to me."

"Come back in a week and I'll have a sketch. If you have any more ideas, call or email me. Here is my card with my personal contact information."

Hinata grabbed the card, her face blushing hard again. Did he really just give her his number? And without prompting?

"H-hai. Thank you, Uchiha-san. I'll be in contact with you," the Hyuuga said as she put her coat on and headed for the door. Before she could walk out though, Sasuke's voice stopped her.

"Just call me Sasuke. You're going to be spending a bit of time with me if you're going through with this tattoo."

While she was still staring, Sasuke winked and flipped his computer back on, effectively ignoring the woman he had so shamelessly flirted with. Both parties did not know that the other's heart was racing wildly. Something had been exchanged in that small office in the back of a small tattoo shop.


	2. The Call

**A/N**: _I just wanted to say thank you to all the amazing people who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! Your amazing response has prompted me into posting the second chapter for this story! :) Special thanks goes to GalerianRose, assiar, Fher34, coffeeshot, mac2, BringMeTheHummus, umnia, strawberry chizoey, nuriiko, SarcasticScript, Yazie567, Kia-B, and Sheep-san for your reviews!_

_I'm really enjoying writing this fic, and I hope you enjoy reading it! I will probably post on a weekly basis, and but I may go on hiatus during July as I will be in Europe for the month. Hopefully I can have the story finished by then!_

_Also, I do realize that I am writing both Sasuke and Hinata slightly out of character. I guess I'm borrowing elements from the RTN counterparts. If you don't like that, then I apologize but this fic is not for you. _

_Enjoy and please leave a review :3_

* * *

Five days had passed since Hinata left Sasuke's little tattoo shop. Her stomach had been filled with butterflies and her heart was slightly racing. She felt as if she was in high school again with a crush. She could not get intense and mysterious obsidian eyes out of her mind. Something about the tattooist made Hinata want to go to him and listen to the story his eyes were begging to tell.

But she wouldn't do that. Hinata was sure that anything she felt between the two of them was purely one-sided, that Sasuke was only a flirt and she another of his victims.

She shook her head, and inhaled deeply before launching into a series of fluid kicks. Hinata loved martial arts. She loved the heat that her body generated from the exercise, how her sweat covered her entire body. Martial arts was Hinata's escape, something that could give her strength when she needed it. The art had helped her grow into the confident young woman that she now was.

Hinata had started her martial arts training when she was a young girl; seeing her father and uncle sparring had sparked an intense interest in her. However, she would drop the pastime from the time she entered middle school until halfway through her high school career. Wanting a change in herself and in her life, Hinata again sought out to participate in martial arts, particularly the style of Baguazhang. It required great flexibility and agility, something Hinata was graced with but still worked hard to perfect. Within her training of Baguazhang, Hinata had found within herself a well of courage and strength. After a year of the martial arts, her stutter had gone and she found herself standing up for herself more and more.

At the end of high school, Hyuuga Hinata had decided that she wanted to make Baguazhang her life. So she entered competitions, rising the ranks and eventually landing to the nationals. This is when her trainer and manager, Yuhi Kurenai, first spotted the indigo-haired Hyuuga. Kurenai approached Hinata and offered her the position of making it into the professional world of martial arts, which the young woman gladly accepted. Four years later, and Hinata was still with Kurenai, training in her gym to win another championship.

"Hyuuga, take a break."

Panting and drenched in sweat, Hinata looked over confusingly at her trainer and friend. She felt that she had not perfected her new move yet, and she did not want to stop practicing. Either way, Kurenai had called for her and Hinata walked to her trainer.

"What is it, Kurenai-sensei?"

The dark-haired woman with somewhat frightening eyes simply smiled at her and handed her a water bottle. Hinata grabbed the bottle and took gulps of the refreshing liquid before putting it on the ground.

"Take a break. You have some time before the next competition. Your move is good already. Go easy on your body, Hinata. You're going to be getting a tattoo soon, and a big one, so let your body rest. I'm banning you from the gym for the rest of the week."

Hinata's mouth fell open. Had she heard correctly? Her trainer was kicking her out of her gym because of a tattoo?

"K-Kurenai-sensei! You can't do that! It's just a tattoo, not surgery!" Hinata said in a high-pitched squeal. She felt like her world was about to collapse. The gym was her everything, her martial art was her rock, and training helped give the Hyuuga her inner strength.

"I can…and I have. Walk with me, Hina-chan."

The older woman started walking, knowing that Hinata would follow her.

"I know you're upset with me. I can see it on your face. But Hinata, recently you've just been living here at the gym. I know that what happened with your cousin really affected you; _but life goes on_. And you have to realize that there is more to life than just training and fighting. I'm worried about you."

At the mention of her cousin Neji, Hinata froze. She felt the memories she had been trying to oppress suddenly come at her with the strength of a raging fire. Tears started to fall down her cheek, leaving a trail on the pale smooth skin. Hinata did not want to confront these memories and the reality that was life. She did not have the strength for that yet.

A set of warm arms wrapped around the small woman, engulfing her in warmth. Instinctively Hinata wrapped her own arms around Kurenai, pressing her face into the other woman's shoulder. She cried for a moment before composing herself and letting go, giving her trainer a somewhat forced smile.

"I want you to be better, Hina-chan. I don't want to see you working yourself to the bone because you're running away from something. We all have to face things we don't want to. You're strong enough to handle this, okay? Have more faith in yourself." Kurenai smiled, ruffling her student's hair. "Go shower and go home. I wanna see you with that tattoo."

"Okay," whispered Hinata, turning around and heading for the locker rooms.

Once she was washed and dry, Hinata proceeded to drive to her townhouse in a suburb of Tokyo. The city was amazing and she loved downtown but the prices of apartments there were absurd, so she settled for a townhouse thirty minutes from the city.

As she barely made into the foyer of her home Hinata's cell phone rang. She quickly answered it and brought it to her phone.

"Hello?" she greeted, struggling to kick off her gym shoe. Frustrated, the Hyuuga glared at her foot.

"Hinata?" a silky smooth voice asked.

A blush colored her cheeks and butterflies filled her stomach as her heart began to race. Hinata stood up straight, forgetting about her struggle to get her shoe off.

"Sasuke-san?"

She heard him scoff on the other end. "I thought I told you to drop the honorific and just call me Sasuke. Don't you listen, little lion?"

Hinata's blush became an even deeper red as she heard the little nickname he had just given her. _Little lion? Really? He couldn't have come up with anything better_, she thought as she rolled her eyes. She may have been embarrassed and flustered because of the nickname, but that didn't stop Hinata from thinking it was lame.

"I listen very well, thank you. Can I help you with something?" she countered, taking a seat on her steps.

Sasuke laughed and Hinata could hear a smirk spreading across his face. He may be doing her a service and he may be incredibly attractive, but Hinata could not deny the feeling that Uchiha Sasuke was the type of person who very easily got on her nerves.

"Yeah. I forgot to ask when you here here where you wanted this tattoo. Also, have you thought of anymore ideas to add to it?"

"I want it on my back. And I want it big. Not a tramp stamp; I want it to be the width of my back. And I would like to incorporate calla lilies to the design."

Sasuke whistled. "Shit, you do want this big. And this is your first tattoo? Not bad for a newbie. Alright, I'll have the final sketch drawn up tomorrow. Stop by at six."

"Okay, that sounds fine."

Suddenly, it dawned on Hinata. How had Sasuke gotten her number? She hadn't given it to him when she met him in his shop, and she hadn't called him in the time since they last saw one another.

"Wait, wait, Sasuke-san _how did you get my number_?"

"Oh. I just looked at our call logs and got it off there. And I told you, call me Sasuke." The young tattooist explained it so casually, as if it had not been creepy to simply go through his business's records to retrieve the cell phone number of a female client he met once.

"O…kay."

"Oh c'mon, don't be weirded out little lion. Anyway I have things to do so I'll see you tomorrow at six to show you what I've come up with. Bye."

And with that, the strange young man hung up the phone, leaving a very confused and somewhat flattered Hyuuga on the other end.

* * *

**A/N**: _Thank for reading! Please leave a review!_


	3. The Sketch

Hinata parked her car in front of Sasuke's tattoo shop at six o'clock sharp. The weather was getting colder by the day, and the wind was especially chilling today. A powerful gust was pushing against her car door, making it slightly difficult to get out of the vehicle. Hinata managed, pulling her coat around her even more tightly when she got out and started walking to the entrance.

"Oi, Hyuuga!" Sasuke called, his back to her.

"Hello, Sasuke-san. You didn't need to wait outside for me," she said, feeling bad because of the fact that it was freezing and his coat didn't look too warm.

Hinata took this opportunity to eye up the man who she only met once. Sasuke was fairly tall and seemed to have a lean build to him. Wearing black jeans that were somewhat tight with black Converse, Sasuke looked as if he never got out of high school, like he was still stuck in that rebellious phase. His hair was obviously styled and if Hinata was being honest, it looked really nice and definitely added to his style. The Hyuuga wondered if this is why he decided to take on the career of a tattooist.

"Tch, don't get full of yourself Hyuuga. I'm closing up the shop."

At this, Hinata blanched. She drove in terrible traffic just to get there in time!

"What?" she squeaked out, unwilling to believe that he got her to come all the way down to his shop only to cancel on her last minute?

"Yeah, you heard me," he said, smirking at her as he turned and walked down the small steps leading into his establishment.

"So…y-you're cancelling on me?" she questioned, feeling tears pricking in her eyes. Maybe Sakura had been the wrong choice. Maybe this guy wasn't the person meant to tattoo Hinata.

One look at her face and Sasuke could see that he made a mistake. He felt guilty which briefly showed in his eyes before he spoke to her.

"Oi, don't cry. I'm not cancelling. I'm still going to show you what I've come up with. But not here. I'm hungry and it's a slow day, so I'm closing for a bit. There's a good ramen place around the corner. I'll buy you a bowl."

Hinata's anxiety suddenly turned into anger, white hot and ready to be unleashed. She marched over towards him, her high heeled boots clacking against the sidewalk. For a brief second Hinata thought she saw fear flash in those hauntingly beautiful dark eyes.

Once she was standing close enough to be inches away from his face, she smacked his chest with enough force to send him stumbling back a bit.

"That was mean and uncalled for, _Uchiha-san_!" She hissed out his last name, honorific attached. "I was stuck in traffic for a very long time, just so I could get here on time. This tattoo is incredibly personal to me and means a great deal. If you cannot take this seriously, then I will take my business elsewhere."

Hinata's lilac eyes found that Sasuke was smirking, as if he found her little rant amusing. She opened her mouth to speak again but was stopped by the artist holding up one finger, silencing any comment she had and letting it die in her throat.

"You're feisty, little lion. I like that. But don't take your business elsewhere; I'm honored that you would pick me to do your very first tattoo. As I said earlier, I am not cancelling on you. I'm simply changing our meeting place to a ramen restaurant around the corner. And, like I also said earlier, I'm buying you a bowl. Now come on, walk with me."

Hinata looked down at her feet and began twiddling her fingers, suddenly feeling embarrassed for her outburst. Had she really shoved him?

"…you don't have to buy me a bowl. I can pay for it myself. But thank you." She looked up shyly, hoping that he had caught the apology in her words. His smile let her know that he had.

"No, I'll buy it. It's what I get for not telling you beforehand. Now come on, I'm cold and I'm hungry."

The indigo-haired woman nodded her head, walking next to him. They reached the ramen shop within two minutes and Hinata welcomed the heat of the building and the savory smells that filled her nostrils. Ramen was delicious and she so rarely got to enjoy it due to the lack of ramen establishments near her home.

Once they were seated did Hinata notice Sasuke had brought along a plastic tube, which she assumed contained her sketches. She looked at him excitedly.

Sasuke smirked. He enjoyed this woman's company, despite the fact that he'd only been in it once before. Something about her made him want to come for more, like a moth drawn to a flame. Perhaps that's what it was; Hinata had a fire hidden within her that she didn't let out much. _It seems that around me that doesn't hold true_, he thought arrogantly.

"Okay, so I want to show you the sketches before our food arrives and we can discuss any changes you want made over our ramen. Is that alright with you?"

Hinata glanced into his eyes, obsidian teasing lilac. She felt a blush creep up her neck and color her cheeks rosy red.

"H-hai," she said breathily. She sipped at her water, looking down at the ice cubes as if they were the most amazing thing she had ever seen.

"Your idea impressed me a lot, and I put in a lot of thought into these pieces. I'll start off with my least favorite and then show you the one I like most last." As he was speaking, Sasuke undid the lid on the plastic tube, and three pieces of paper came out. The first one he unrolled and flattened on the table, his long pale fingers skimming the surface.

Hinata couldn't help but gasp. It was beautiful. The design of the lionesses weren't traditional Japanese, as she had imagined, but Sasuke had drawn them as they looked in real life. The detail in the eyes was amazing; Hinata could almost see the fierceness of the lioness.

"I know this one isn't what you wanted, but I thought I would give you some options. The lionesses would have their natural color, with blue flames around them. What do you think of this?" Sasuke looked at her, signature smirk in place.

Hinata's smile became a slight scowl as she pondered what to say next. Finally, something came to mind.

"The lionesses look too docile for me. And you did an amazing job of drawing them, but I want the traditional Japanese design applied to them. That is what I want. May we move on to the next one?"

She looked up at him, all doe-eyed, her long lashes softly brushing against the smooth pale skin. Sasuke thought that the restaurant suddenly felt too warm and that he needed to go back outside and get some fresh air. But the sweet, innocent look in her eyes kept glued in place, staring. Had she always been this attractive?

"Of course. Here is the second sketch. Traditional Japanese styled lions, crouching and snarling. These look fiercer than the other ones."

It only took a second before Hinata replied, "I like how you've drawn the lions. But I don't like the placement of them. The way that I'm envisioning it is that one lion will be crouching, the one that will be placed on the bottom half of my back. And that lioness will be facing left, on a slope. The other lioness I picture standing tall and proud, snarling. Does that make sense? Or is that possible?"

She looked so shy, hiding behind her water glass. Sasuke felt a lazy smile spread across his face, and he could not ignore the fact that he found her utterly adorable.

"That is doable. Let me write that down. It's good that you know what you want, little lion." He smirked at her before scribbling down what she had just said on the corner of the second sketch.

When he was finished, Sasuke unrolled the third piece of paper, his favorite of the group. The young Uchiha had spent quite some time on this particular piece, and he was hoping that Hinata loved it as much as he did. Sasuke looked at her impatiently, trying to gauge her reaction.

"S-Sasuke…this is beautiful."

Hinata was staring at two lionesses, fierce and proud and roaring for all to hear. Instead of being surrounded by the blue fire, they were made of the blue fire. They were not in the position that she wanted, but that would be easily fixed by the talented tattoo artist.

"So, what do you think?" Sasuke asked, smirking.

"I love it. I want this one. This is the design. This is what was in my head. Thank you so much for bringing it to life, Sasuke!" she squealed, so happy that she was starting to cry.

Sasuke took her small hand in his, brought to his lips, and placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand. "You're welcome, little lion."


	4. The Idiot

A/N: Hello guys! First of all, I would like to apologize for my semi-hiatus regarding this story! I've been in California the past three weeks and I have been feeling rather lazy! But to sort of make up for that, here are two new chapters that I've worked on :3 I would also like to say that I am going to Europe in a week, and will most likely **not** post for the entire month that I am there. I will try my hardest to write as many chapters as I can to post up for you.

Thank you to all the lovely people who have reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! Enjoy!

* * *

Sasuke had spent a majority of the day locked up in his office, trying to work on Hinata's tattoo. He wanted it to be his masterpiece, the one tattoo that he would be most recognized for. The young raven-haired man wanted to do that for the young woman with dove eyes.

His tattoo shop didn't see as much patronage in the winter as it did during the summer. Something about the cold made people stop getting tattoos. The only people in the shop with him were Uzumaki Karin, the receptionist, and her boyfriend Hozuki Suigetsu. The latter was a fellow tattoo artist in the shop with Sasuke, whom he had met a year out of high school in the yakuza scene Sasuke had found himself in. The big muscular men with tattoos adorning every inch of their torsos had enchanted Sasuke at a very early age.

"Oi!" a boisterous voice boomed, following the chiming of the bell attached to the door. Had a customer walked in?

_No, I know that voice anywhere_, Sasuke thought. He could already feel the annoyance coming towards him like a wave about to crash.

"Naruto! What are you doing here? Sasuke's busy!" Karin yelled at her cousin. Sasuke could already picture how the red-headed Uzumaki was giving her blonde relative her most malicious glare.

"Who says I came here to visit the _teme_? What if I just wanted to visit my sweet cousin?" Naruto said smoothly.

Secretly happy with Naruto's interruption, Sasuke got up from his chair and waltzed into the parlor of the tattoo shop. The blonde was sitting on an empty chair near Suigetsu's work station; Karin was standing over him, wearing an impossibly short skirt with mid-thigh length high-heeled boots and a crop top; and then Suigetsu was sitting next to Naruto, his purple eyes laughing at his girlfriend.

"What do you want _dobe_?"

At the sound of Sasuke's voice, three sets of eyes came to rest on Sasuke's face. He looked at his best friend. Naruto had changed considerably from the goofy boy Sasuke met in grade school. For starters, the Uzumaki was tall, almost 6'0" with a lean build. His hair was styled in a Mohawk, a script tattoo of "Kyuubi" on the left side of his head, a gift from Sasuke. Naruto's ears were stretched, big enough to fit the neck of a beer bottle (they had tried that one drunken night) and tattoos covered his arms and neck. One thing that had never changed, however, was the mischievous look in his cerulean eyes that never seemed to leave.

"Sasuke, I tried telling him that you were busy. But he never listens," explained Karin before delivering a punch to Naruto's shoulder. The blonde jumped up out of the chair, rubbing the spot where his cousin's fist had landed.

_He should be used to that by now, the way his mother is_, Uchiha thought with a little shudder. Uzumaki Kushina was a scary woman indeed, and even scarier when she was angry. Sasuke had been unlucky enough to see Kushina's wrath unleashed a few times, mostly at her son.

"It's alright, Karin. I'm bored anyway and I haven't seen him in a while. You want a beer, _dobe_?" Sasuke asked, turning on his heel and heading for the mini fridge he had in his office. This particular fridge is where all the liquor and alcohol was kept in the shop.

"Do you have whiskey? I want something to warm me up," Naruto called after him, following his best friend.

"Oi, I'll take his beer then!" Suigetsu shouted. Sasuke ignored him; he didn't want the silver-haired tattooist tipsy in case a customer walked in.

"So what brings you here?" Sasuke asked as he got the two shot glasses and filled them both with the amber liquid. Naruto had made himself comfortable on the couch in the office. The Uchiha's shadowy eyes looked at the boisterous blonde before setting the glass down on his desk.

"Nothing, I was in the neighborhood and decided I'd stop by." Naruto stood up and sat across from Sasuke, taking his drink and swallowing the whiskey with a practiced dignity. "Ah."

Sasuke looked at the young blonde man suspiciously before answering. "Hn. I don't believe you. Tell me the truth, Naruto. Why are you really here?"

Naruto gave the Uchiha that cheesy smile he was almost famous for. "You remember that pink-haired girl you tattooed during the summer? Sakura-chan?" The blonde didn't wait for a response before continuing. "Well, I bumped into her a couple days ago and I asked her out and she said yeah and we went dancing at the club and man it was amazing. We've been texting all day. I think I'm gonna ask her to hang out again!"

"Tch. I never figured you two would end up meeting up again. What's she like?"

Sasuke glanced back down at his sketch book, picking up a pencil and concentrating.

"Well, she sort of reminds me of my mom. Which I know is really weird to say. But like, she's freakishly strong and has this short temper. I don't know man. I really like her. She's a really sexy dancer and has this big forehead that I just wanna kiss forever.

"She doesn't have the biggest assets, but that's alright. I'm just looking at her eyes most of the time. They're this beautiful jade green and it looks really nice with her hair. You should know because you've seen her. But none of this matters because you're not listening to me."

Naruto slammed his glass on the wooden desk, making Sasuke jump and glare at his friend. The blonde only smiled in return.

"I get it, you like her because she puts up with your obnoxious shit. I wish the girl luck," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. "Leave me alone, I'm trying to work on this sketch."

"What is it?" Naruto stood up and tried leaning over the desk to peer at Sasuke's sketch book. The latter simply looked at the Uzumaki, incredulous that he would do such a thing. The blonde only gave him a look as if Sasuke should not be surprised.

"This new client. She wants her first piece done by me; she was recommended by that Sakura. I wanna spend a good amount of time on it because it's her first tattoo and I wanna make it special for her."

The office filled with laughter, and the only thing Sasuke could do to stop it to waSs simply throw daggers at Naruto with his dark orbs.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" Sasuke asked icily.

"You, of course! Dude, it sounds like you like this girl! Otherwise why would you be spending so much time trying to get this tattoo to look just right? Eh?" Naruto's eyes were gleaming with that mischief he was infamous for. "What's she look like?"

"Shut up, I'm not telling you. She's a client, nothing more. So get that stupid notion out of your stupid little head Uzumaki." Sasuke couldn't help but sound defensive.

"What's she look like? C'mon, tell me _teme_! If you don't I'm gonna ask Karin. And she's gonna tell me. Because she loves me." Just like Sasuke couldn't keep the defensiveness out of his tone, Naruto couldn't keep the mischievousness out of his eyes.

When Sasuke wouldn't answer, Naruto went out into the parlor, shouting for Karin.

"Oi, Karin! Oi! What's this new client of Sasuke's look like?"

"Naruto, SHUT UP!"

At Karin's sudden outburst, Sasuke got up and went to go see what trouble Naruto was causing. When he walked in, he almost choked. Standing in between the two Uzumakis was a petite Hyuuga with wide eyes and an intense blush. Sasuke felt mortified.

"A-ano…I'm Sasuke's new client. C-can I h-help you?" Hinata stammered.

"Oh! So you're the new client? You're pretty! I can see why Sasuke likes you!" shouted Naruto, smiling at the blushing Hinata.

But the only thing Sasuke could see was the change in the Hyuuga's face, how her blush seemed to be transferred over to him, how his throat suddenly dried up and he couldn't get a single word out.

Did Naruto notice something that Sasuke had missed? Does he really have an attraction to Hinata?

The only thing running through Sasuke's mind was, _That idiot_.

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Hope you enjoyed it! Review and favorite please xx


	5. The Punch

Hello lovelies! As I said before, here is the fifth chapter to the Dragon and the Lioness! I hope you're enjoying the story and my portrayal of Sasuke and Hinata :)

Please review, follow, and favorite! xx

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Sasuke couldn't believe what was happening. Naruto, his blonde haired blue-eyed idiot of a friend, had blurted to Hinata that it was no question how she had smitten Sasuke so easily and quickly. The result was that both people in question—Sasuke and Hinata—were bright red and seemingly forgot all of their words. They simply stood in the center of Sasuke's tattoo shop, staring at one another. For somewhat shy Hinata, this was slightly normal; for cool and collected Sasuke, this was his worst nightmare.

However none of that seemed to register in Uzumaki Naruto's brain, for the blonde idiot with the goofy grin only continued talking. "Say, what was your name again? I think you and the _teme_ would look really nice together! Don't ya think, Karin?"

Hinata's blush was as bright as Karin's hair.

"NARUTO! SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" the short-tempered young woman screamed.

Sasuke took this distraction as an opportunity to grab Hinata's hand and pull her toward his office. Once there, the young dark-haired man shut the door and locked it. A little squeak caused him to turn his head sharply to look at Hinata.

The martial artist looked absolutely terrified, her eyes wide and the fear reflected in her opal eyes. In a split second, Hinata's fist struck out with lightning speed. The tiny little fist that looked so weak and dainty had unexpectedly made contact with Sasuke's face.

The pale young man had slammed into the door, a blur of dark colors. His head smacked against the closed door with a loud bang, where he slid down. Sasuke's hands instinctively went to his nose and mouth, where Hinata's hand had struck. When he pulled back his long fingers, there was blood on them. Sasuke's vision was blurry, and he realized that there were tears in them.

"Sasuke! Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that, it was just instinct! Let me help you up!" Hinata fluttered all around him, eventually wrapping her arm around his waist and hoisted him up to his feet.

"I got frightened when you locked the door a-a-and thought y-y-you were going to…" she was continuing before suddenly stopping and blushing a deep crimson red.

Her free hand unlocked the door and opened it. Before Sasuke could ask her to go own, the three idiots in the parlor were suddenly on the both of them like a swarm of bees on honey. Karin was fluttering about him, almost glaring at Hinata for an explanation. Suigetsu and Naruto didn't say anything, having learned over the years that Karin was a force to be reckoned with and did not like being interrupted.

"P-p-please stop y-y-yelling! I'm t-t-taking S-S-Sasuke to the h-hospital. I think I b-b-broke his n-n-n-nose," Hinata uttered, managing to get the words out against the barrage of what Karin was saying.

"You broke the _teme's_ nose? Holy shit," breathed out Naruto, who Sasuke blamed for the currently situation he was in. He gave the blonde his best glare.

Hinata didn't say anything else. Her focus was on getting Sasuke out of the door, but when she was almost there she remembered that Sasuke needed his coat. She saw it on the coat rack and grabbed it, draping it over the tattooist's shoulders. When they were both situated in her car with the heat full blast did Sasuke finally speak.

"…I don't think you broke my nose."

Hinata glanced over at him nervously, her grip on the steering wheel tightening.

_How can such a timid and shy woman be a martial artist? And a professional one at that_, pondered Sasuke.

"I-I'm so s-s-sorry Sasuke. It w-w-was an accident!"

Moisture was starting to build in her opal eyes and Sasuke could see it.

"Oi! Don't cry and drive! Listen, Koneko-chan, it's no big deal! You punched me in the face because you panicked. But what did you think I was gonna do to you?"

The crimson blush from before returned, and Sasuke smirked. His suspicions had been confirmed; the only thing left was to get the little lion to say it.

"A-ano…p-p-p-please d-d-don't be u-ups-set with m-m-m-me," started Hinata, the words on a breathy whisper. The following sentence came out in a blur, the words mushing together so much that it took all Sasuke had to understand them. "But I thought you were a secret pervert and then I just punched you!"

Sasuke's laughter startled Hinata, and soon it was the only sound in the car.

"W-w-why are you laughing?"

"Because I thought that's you were thinking. And I was wrong. You're not a lion; you're too quick to be a lion. You're more of a cat, Koneko-chan."

"Eh? You knew why I punched you and you still wanted me to say it? You are so cunning, Uchiha-_san_! If I'm as quick as a cat, then you're as sly as snake!" Hinata snapped. Her change in demeanor changed so rapidly, at first being the eye of the storm before unleashing the fury within.

"I prefer dragon, Koneko, but close enough." Sasuke winked, causing Hinata to suddenly laugh aloud.

She must have seen the question in Sasuke's eyes, answering with, "Your hand is over your face and there's blood drying on it as well. Your voice sounds funny. I'm sorry." She giggled, a smile spreading over her face.

_She smiles as bright as the sun_, Sasuke thought warmly. With his hand covering his face, Hinata couldn't see the small tender smile hers had caused.

* * *

After the doctor had seen them, he concluded that Sasuke's nose was not broken, but Sasuke had bitten his cheek hard enough to require stitches and the bang on his head caused a slight concussion. The doctor discharged him, and the pair went walking to Hinata's car.

The drive to the tattoo shop was filled with laughter and easy conversation. After this experience, the Hyuuga and the Uchiha had felt a subtle pull towards one another. When they were in the back of the shop, where employees parked their cars, Sasuke lingered in the car. _I don't wanna go out in the cold yet_, he told himself.

"A-ano…Sasuke…" Hinata trailed off, adverting his gaze.

"What is it Koneko?" he whispered. His fingers felt the sudden urge to intertwine themselves with Hinata's, to gently direct her face towards his. But Sasuke restrained himself.

"A-ano. I like your dragon tattoo. D-do you have more?"

He cracked a smile at her innocent question; he would almost always get an inquiry regarding his tattoos. Sasuke directed the full force of his gaze at the little indigo-haired beauty.

"I have a lot more tattoos, yes, but I don't have any more dragon tattoos. Just the one on my right arm and the one on my neck. Which is your favorite?"

His black eyes were alive with amusement, and soon enough Hinata broke out into a smile.

"The neck one. What are the words beside it?"

"It says 'fire and blood'. Do you know the book series _A Song of Ice and Fire_ or the TV show _Game of Thrones_? Well, it's from that. My favorite house is the Targaryen house, and their house motto is 'fire and blood'. So I figured it'd be appropriate to add it there. The other dragon, the lightning one, it's kind of dedicated to my mom." Hinata's quizzical glance made Sasuke continue. "Not the actual dragon itself, though my mom can be really scary when she gets pissed. But there's flowers around the dragon, her favorite kind.

"The way I surmise it is that the dragon—me—is protecting the castle. And you know, dragons get hurt but nobody ever seems to think of that. So the flowers are protecting the dragon. I've always been closer to my mother than my father. But I got a tattoo dedicated to him too; he wasn't too happy though."

Hinata took in a shaky breath before responding to him. "O-one day I w-w-would like to s-see all your tattoos Sasuke."

The statement was equally unexpected as it was pleasant. "You do realize that I have tattoos in some private places?"

Just as she had been timid, Hinata's fire riled up and was unleashed. "I realize that, Sasuke. I was raised to be a lady, so I wasn't just going to say that I would like to—"

Hinata was cut off by the slight pressure of Sasuke's lips to hers, moving gently and slowly and hungrily. She responded with equal ardor.

Through the kiss, Sasuke smiled; Naruto had been right. Sasuke did like Hinata, punch to the face included.

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Thank you for reading! Please leave a review, a suggestion as to what you would like to see or some predictions :)

xxx


	6. The Dilemma

Hello guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter! No Sasuke in it, but hopefully Sakura and Ino can make up for it. Thank you so much for the wonderful response to the latest chapters, and to all the amazing people who have reviewed, followed, and added this to their favorites! It means a lot and definitely inspires me to write more for this fic!

Please review, favorite, and follow! :)

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A few days following the kiss Hinata shared with her future tattoo artist, she found herself hanging out with her two best friends Ino and Sakura. Hinata had met the Yamanaka and the Haruno in elementary school; she did not start talking to them until they were eight years old. Often times Hinata felt like the third wheel in the friendship and it was mostly due to the fact that Ino and Sakura had known each other longer than Hinata did. But that did not stop the three from becoming great friends, even in adulthood.

Currently all three were sitting on Sakura's couch, having just finish a takeout dinner from one of their favorite little restaurants. Hinata's head was resting on Sakura's lap, the pinkette smoothing the long indigo tresses; Hinata's pale feet were in Ino's lap, the platinum blonde massaging them. Kurenai-sensei had finally allowed Hinata back into the gym, and her feet were sore after hours of practicing.

"Okay so this tattoo artist kissed you? Like out of nowhere?" Ino asked again. Hinata could tell from her tone of voice that she was having a hard time understanding the situation.

Hinata's face turned scarlet, feeling embarrassed for some reason. Ino and Sakura were her closest friends and she knew that they would not judge her and would support her always. But unlike both of them, Hinata was somewhat lacking in the field of boys and men and most types of experience. She had done certain sexual things, but nothing that she enjoyed nor did she even like those people long-term.

"H-hai. I told him I wanted to see all of his tattoos—" Hinata blushed at this again—"and then he was being a smart ass so I started getting sassy and he kissed me."

"Was he a good kisser? I kind of wondered that when he was tattooing me," inquired Sakura who had a devious gleam in her sea foam green eyes.

It took the Hyuuga a moment before she gave out a meek little "yes".

Ino was growing impatient and finally asked, "So…did you guys make out? What happened after he kissed you?"

"Ino-chan!" Hinata exclaimed, sitting up and looking at the bright blue eyes.

"Oi, Hinata, lay back down. I like playing with your hair," demanded Sakura, tugging at the smaller girl's sleeve. Hinata did as she asked because it felt nice to have her long hair played with.

"Answer the question, Hina-chan!" urged Ino while she directed a wink at her friend.

Hinata rolled her opal eyes, giving out a little giggle before deciding to indulge both girls. After all, there had been countless nights where Hinata had done the same for both of them.

"Okay. So I kind of pulled away because I was confused and it came out of nowhere so it frightened me a little. I wasn't going to hit him again though; that would have been terrible and Kurenai-sensei would not have been proud. But I asked what we were doing, and he asked if we wanted to stop. I answered…by kissing him again."

She waited for the gasps to die down before continuing. "We made out for a little bit before he finally pulled away. Sasuke said that he needed to go, and that his mouth was hurting because of the stitches. I had completely forgotten about that. We've been texting every day since then and he calls every night."

Sakura was the first to speak.

"It sounds like you guys are dating. Do you like him like that, Hinata?"

The question was simple enough and Hinata thought that the answer would come as easy as the question. But that was not the case. It took her a moment to collect her thoughts, to analyze what had happened between her and Sasuke. Did she like him? Or was she simply carried away with attraction and the mystery his eyes presented every time she was near him?

"I'm not sure. I feel odd because he's doing a service for me. Our relationship was a business one. At least, it was. But then the past two times happened when we had dinner—that was his idea and I had no knowledge of it—and then yesterday with making out. I don't know. Is it unprofessional of him? Is it wrong of me?" Hinata asked, chewing on her bottom lip.

The silence between the three young ladies seemed to go on for eons to Hinata. When Ino finally spoke, her voice was a cool breeze on a scorching day.

"That's tricky Hina-chan. How do you think Sasuke feels about you? What have you guys been texting about?"

"I'm not sure how he feels about me. He seems like a flirt, which is somewhat terrifying to me. But then again he seems to be very genuine with me; I don't know. And we just talk about anything. I told him that my birthday is in three days and he told me that's when he wanted to start the tattoo. He also said that he would show me his tattoos before he started the session. I don't know."

Hinata buried her head in Sakura's lap, feeling embarrassed at what she had just confided to her best friends. Was Sasuke a player? Was he simply flirting with Hinata for the duration of her business with him? She wasn't sure and voicing her concerns had made them all the more real for Hinata.

A warmness soon enveloped her, and Hinata realized that Ino and Sakura were both hugging her from their positions on the couch. It made her heart melt; she really did have the best friends in the entire world.

"Hina-chan you're over-thinking. Do you realize that? Tattoos are incredibly personal most of the time, so him wanting to show you all the ones he has means that he feels comfortable enough to share those stories with you. That's a good thing sweetie. Don't worry. Just take things one day at a time," Ino said as she rubbed her friend's arms.

"Yeah, Hinata. You're over-thinking. But then again it wouldn't be you if you didn't do that. Just do what Ino says and take it one day at a time. You'll be fine!" Sakura said, giving her a small smile.

The opal-eyed young woman nodded her head, smiling softly in the comfort of her friends.

"Okay, enough about me. Sakura-chan tell us about the guy you went dancing with!"

At the mention of her recent date, the Haruno perked up immediately and relished in the opportunity to tell her best friends what she thought of this blonde haired punk.

"Well he talks a lot! And is incredibly…mischievous. Yes that's the word. It gets on my nerves a bit, but I kind of like it. The change is nice. He's a good dancer and is also really respectful. We've been talking every day since and want to go back to the club."

This guy's mischievousness must have rubbed off onto Sakura, because Hinata noticed the glint in her friend's eyes. _What is she thinking?_

"Oi, Hinata…what are you doing for New Years?" the pinkette inquired.

"Uh…nothing. Why?" Hinata asked nervously.

"Well, I was talking to Naruto about going to the club for New Years, to go dancing. You should come with. And, from what I understand, Naruto's best friend is a certain Uchiha Sasuke."

Hinata had been to the club a few times with Ino and Sakura, and she had liked it well enough. But whenever she went she went without a date and the guys that either of the girls brought along for her were not the type of people she liked. The guys ended up being too pushy and wouldn't leave her alone when Hinata told them she didn't want to dance anymore.

But she was feeling somewhat courageous with Sasuke…

"Okay. I can do that. I'll ask him myself. I'll text him right now."

Ino and Sakura exchanged glances before giving their friend a thumbs-up.

"You seem really confident, Hinata. If this is partly because of hanging out with Sasuke then I completely approve!" Sakura said.

Hinata read aloud the text as she was typing it. "Hey Sasuke. My friend Sakura-chan is making plans to go to the club on New Year's with Naruto-kun. She invited me to tag along, and I was wondering if you would like to join?"

"That's good, now send it!" urged Ino, her characteristic impatience showing itself.

Hinata pressed the send button and threw her phone on the coffee table. A few seconds later it buzzed, signifying that Hinata had a new text. She grabbed it, unlocking the phone and waiting for the text to pop up on her screen. She read it out loud.

"Sure, that sounds like fun Koneko-chan. I'll make sure no other guy touches your back because your tattoo is going to be sore. What are you gonna wear? ;)"

"AHH HE DID THE WINKY FACE AND TOTALLY SAID HE WAS GONNA BE PROTECTIVE OVER YOU!" shouted Ino, laughing. Hinata and Sakura joined her and both girls ended up hugging their sides.

_Our meeting may have been a bit unorthodox, but I'm glad I met you Sasuke. I would like to see the dragon trying to protect the lioness_.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! :3 I love writing some girl time for Hinata, especially with Sakura and Ino because I love those ladies.

Anyway, this will be the last chapter posted until I come back from Europe (August 14th) because I leave tomorrow. Please leave a review, favorite and follow! Thank you so much for all those who already do, especially all the amazing people who have given me such lovely feedback! 3


	7. The Session I

Hello guys! I'm back from Europe, and because of being gone for so long, I wrote an extra long chapter! I hope you all enjoy. Please review, rate, and add to your follow/favorite list! :)

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The day had finally come. Despite looking forward to it and having this date picked a month in advance, Hinata was nervous. It was her twenty-third birthday and the day that she would go in for the first session of her grand tattoo. Sasuke had texted her last night, reminding her to dress comfortably because the session would take around two to three hours.

Three nights ago Hinata had been having a girls' night with her best friends, Sakura and Ino, and they had been discussing the possibility of Sasuke liking Hinata and vice versa. Hinata felt herself blush as she thought of the conversation, and the text messages she had exchanged with Sasuke while she was with her friends. Being with the platinum blonde and the pinkette made Hinata feel a lot braver than she was.

When she was dressed in yoga pants and a plain white t-shirt, Hinata donned on her winter coat and made her way to Sasuke's tattoo shop. Despite being a weekday the traffic was not too terrible because of the fact that Hinata was leaving her house in the early evening, heading the opposite direction of the heavy traffic. Pulling up in front of the vintage looking tattoo shop, Hinata took in a deep breath and reminded herself that everything would be okay, that the little physical pain she would feel would not compare to the multiple kicks and punches she had received in all of her fights combined.

The shop seemed empty, or most likely closed, when Hinata walked in. The snappy and hot-tempered redhead was not here nor were there any other tattoo artists at their stations working on clients. Hinata was beginning to wonder if Sasuke even had any other artists in his employment besides the young man with silver hair and bright violet eyes.

"A-ano…Sasuke?" she called out. The indigo-haired young woman did not feel like venturing deeper into the shop besides the entry point in fear of being rude. _Always the proper and mindful lady fit to be a Hyuuga_, a somber and deep voice said in the back of Hinata's mind. A melancholy smile touched her lips briefly before disappearing at the sound of something from the back of the shop.

"Oi, Hyuuga," greeted the tattoo artist who could use a lesson or two in mannerisms.

Hinata's pearl eyes studied Sasuke for a quick second, drinking in the sight of him. Ever since that kiss, she felt shy around the Uchiha. Hinata almost felt like a high school student again considering that her heart beat faster when she saw him and that an intense blush was now coloring a good portion of her face. He wasn't even wearing anything outrageous nor had Sasuke said anything that would have possibly swooped Hinata off her feet at that very second. Instead, he was dressed in a ripped t-shirt that had been transformed into a muscle tee and jeans with holes all over them. Of course they were black.

"Hello Sasuke. Where is everyone?" she asked as she took her coat off and placed it on the coat rack near the door. Hinata did not miss the obsidian eyes quickly glancing over the somewhat tight clothes that clung to her body in a flattering way.

"Karin's shifts end at 5PM and none of the other artists had appointments. So it's just you and me. Hope that's okay with you," Sasuke replied nonchalantly. Hinata pursed her lip and stared at his back as he locked the front door.

_He's always speaking as if nothing bothers him, as if there's nothing to worry about. _

If she was being truthful, Hinata envied that about Sasuke. With her overbearing father and the pressures put on by the private tutors he had hired to make her into a proper lady fit to be a Hyuuga, Hinata rarely got to relax and simply take things as they go. Did he not have that same pressure? The young heiress had heard of the Uchiha family; they were about as prestigious as her own family.

"What are you thinking about Koneko-chan?"

Sasuke's smooth voice broke Hinata out of her reverie. She shook her head, heat rising to her cheeks from embarrassment. A sheepish smile lit up her face; Sasuke returned the smile and Hinata something in his eyes that made her heart skip a beat.

"N-nothing Sasuke. Shall we get started?"

His dark eyes told her that he didn't believe her answer, but the Uchiha agreed to drop the matter for the moment. He titled his hair of inky black hair in the direction of his office. "Sure. This way, I have a table set up for you."

Hinata noticed that Sasuke looked almost scared for a moment. _What's that about?_

They walked to the back office in silence, the only noise being Hinata's boots clacking against the tile floor. She hadn't noticed before but Sasuke's office was actually large enough to fit a table for her to lie down on comfortable while he worked on her masterpiece. The furniture was slightly pushed up against the wall to make room for everything; it still looked roomy.

"Did you move all the f-furniture yourself, S-Sasuke?" she asked quietly, turning around and offering a polite smile.

"You're really cute when you smile Koneko-chan. And yeah, I did move it. There's not that much to move so don't worry about it. Anyway, there's something I need to talk to you about."

When Sasuke didn't go on, Hinata thought of the nervous and scared look he had on his face earlier. Perhaps he was finally going to tell her what he was thinking of. _But why would he look scared? _

"Um…okay. Please don't punch me again," he started. Hinata blushed furiously and looked down at her feet, still embarrassed about what had happened the last time they were in this office. Her mind also wandered to the car…

"But for your tattoo, it's going to cover your whole back…and you can't have your bra on because it'll get in the way of the tattoo."

Hinata's eyes widened at the tattooist's words. Logically, what he was saying made sense; however, the shy girl inside of the Hyuuga made her way to the surface and Hinata covered her face with her hands. All the progress of working on her confidence had flown out the window with such a simple and logical request.

"Hinata…" Sasuke whispered, touching her arm lightly. His pale hand made its way up her forearm until it rested on top of her own alabaster hand. She shook her head, fighting tears the entire time.

It was her birthday for crying out loud! She would not cry and she would not back out of this tattoo. _This is for Neji-nii-san_, she thought forlornly.

"Hinata," the Uchiha started again. His hand was still on top of hers, spreading warmth into her cold limb. "We can reschedule if you don't feel comfortable. And if you really wanna do this now, I can be in the same amount of clothing as you if it'll make you feel more at ease. I won't look or anything; this is strictly professional. And you said you wanted to see some of my tattoos." Hinata could hear the smirk at the end of the sentence.

Raising her face from the safeness of her hands, Hinata looked Sasuke straight into his usually cool and mysterious dark eyes…and found that he was telling the truth. She didn't think he could be such a sweetheart.

Still not trusting her voice to speak she gave a curt nod. Sasuke turned and placed his palms over his eyes so as to reassure her that he would not peak. Hinata quickly took her top and bra off, placing them over one of the chairs in front of his desk. She then laid down on the table, the soft cushion cold on her bare skin.

"Y-you can t-t-turn now, Sasuke. T-t-thank you for b-being a-a-as understanding as y-y-you are."

Clothing rustled briefly as Sasuke took off his shirt, flinging it somewhere into the cozy office. When he came into her line of vision, peering over a tiny desk with thousands of pencils and some paper on it, Hinata noticed just how many tattoos this young man had. While his back was towards her, the opal-eyed woman noticed some type of warrior covering almost his entire back. The coloring was purple and his armor was frightening; it carried a gigantic bow in one hand and had a black flame floating over the other hand. The warrior also had wings, neatly folded to his side. The one visible eye, yellow in color, seemed to stare into her soul. Hinata was mesmerized by its horrific beauty.

When the raven-haired man turned to face her Hinata quickly averted her eyes, though she was certain that Sasuke had caught her at the last second. He made no mention of it however.

"Okay. So what we're gonna be doing is just to get the basic sketch outlined onto your skin. That should take about two and a half hours. Then we're gonna come back in a couple weeks to do the coloring, and a few weeks after that we're going to fix it up and do the shading. All three sessions should range between two and a half hours to about three hours. Think you can handle that Koneko-chan?"

A scowl set upon Hinata's face, her eyes hardened with determination to go through with this permanent event.

Her voice came out low and steady, to let him know that she was serious. "Yes."

Sasuke's eyebrows lifted up, almost with pride, and he smirked. "Alright, let me get this sketch onto you real quick. It might be a bit cold."

That was soon quickly over, and before Hinata knew it Sasuke was putting on black latex gloves and getting the ink ready.

"Here I go," he warned as his fingers expertly turned on the tattoo gun. The sound startled Hinata, but after getting used to it she braced herself.

The feeling of the needle embedding black ink into her ivory skin felt empowering to the young Hyuuga. For years and years she had felt trapped under the watchful eyes of her father and his subordinates, to make her into the perfect little Hyuuga. Hinata had been a piece of fine ivory, a porcelain doll that was too dainty to play with. But now…now her skin had finally begun to turn steel.

"I saw you looking at the tattoo on my back." The statement was simple and plain, breaking through the subtle and comfortable silence that had settled between the two. Sasuke was hard at work while Hinata was focusing on the sensation of the needle weaving its way through her skin. She wished she could see how it moved.

"Hai. I think it's very beautiful. May I ask what it is?"

"You can ask anything, Koneko-chan." Sasuke wiped some of the ink away, dipping the tip of the needle into a little container filled with ink. "Do you know the god Susano'o? He's a Shinto god of wind and thunder. My ancestors worshipped him a bit more than the rest, probably because he was a great warrior. Anyway, they believed that some of the Uchiha were more gifted than the rest and because of that, they must have had their own Susano'o to look after them. That's what the tattoo on my back is. He's how I envision my Susano'o."

Hinata said the first thing that came to her mind. "Why did you make him so frightening?"

The laughter that bubbled out of Sasuke's tattooed covered neck seemed oddly out of place, but he answered her nonetheless. "Honestly, I don't know. I think I was trying to be a hard ass. It was the first big piece that I got, and the guy I got it from was connected to the yakuza. I got it done the old way, since it was of an old god from the old days. It hurt like hell, but I prefer getting tattoos that way."

"How old were you? And forgive m-m-me if this is rude, but d-d-don't your parents put such high expectations on you? How have you become such a famous tattoo artist instead of a famous businessman?"

It took a while for Sasuke to answer. Hinata scrunched up her face as the needle was over a part of her spine. She knew that that would not be pleasant; Sakura had warned her of that.

"My father…is a very difficult man to understand, let alone read. He was cold and calculating and rather rough around the edges. But on my eighteenth birthday, after I got the tattoo of Mount Fuji in honor of him, my father finally realized that I wasn't the son he wanted me to be. I still wanted to make him proud, however, so that's why I decided I would be the best at what I'm doing. And it seems to be going that way."

Hinata didn't say anything for a while. She lied there in awe, feeling as if she had entered a secret part of Uchiha Sasuke's life. Of course she had heard of Uchiha Fugaku, a hard and calculating businessman. She did not think he would have a soft side, let alone a tolerance of letting one of his children pursue something such as tattooing.

_Sasuke seems so happy doing this though. I'm glad that his father allowed him to do this and accepted that this is what his youngest son was meant to do in order to be happy. After all, I wouldn't have met Sasuke if his father hadn't given his approval, _Hinata thought with a shy smile.

The entire session they would get into comfortable silences or go into long talking sessions. Hinata was happy with both and she could tell that Sasuke was as well. He even asked her why she was getting this tattoo, why she had developed and created the Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists. And she told him, despite the pain it caused her.

"It's for my older cousin, Neji. He passed away a few months ago…protecting me. We were walking home from the gym. Our cars were parked somewhat far since the parking lot had been full. Anyway a man came out of nowhere, holding a gun and demanding our money. I froze, standing there like an idiot while Neji did what came naturally to him… He tried to wrestle the gun away from the man, but the man overpowered him for a quick second a-and…he got Neji-nii-san."

The tears in her eyes were flowing, but Hinata didn't care. It felt good to talk about Neji, to make other people aware of what a hero he was. She was doing the best thing she could do to honor him with her tattoo.

"He was helping me develop the move, so I thought this would be the best thing to get in his memory," she finished, smiling up at Sasuke.

The tattoo gun lifted from her skin, and then before she knew it, Sasuke's lips were on her forehead.

"Brave and sweet Koneko-chan. Thank you for giving me the honor of tattooing such a remarkable and meaningful tattoo on you," Sasuke said.

* * *

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was a bit hard for me to write, but once I got into the groove of things, the words just kept coming out! What do you guys think of his Susano'o tattoo? I wanted it to be his perfect Susano'o, so I hope that you guys had an easy time picturing that :3 I know some people can't picture Hinata's tattoo and I apologize for that but I don't have anyway to draw it for me/I can't draw so .

In other news, my trip in Europe was amazing. I got to spend an entire month with my boyfriend (who lives there, so we're in a long-distance relationship). I'm also moving back to school on Friday, with classes starting Monday and work on Tuesday. If I fall behind on chapters, please understand!

Thank so much for having patience with me. You guys are the best! 3

Please leave a review and add this to your favorites/follow's list! :)


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